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  Aquatic Homalomena species (Aroids as sumerged aquatics?)
From: "ron iles" <roniles at eircom.net> on 2004.08.21 at 01:51:31(12030)
Gentlemen

Thank you for the interesting information on Homalomena expedita(?) In vain I try to abandon my life-long love of freshwater flora & fauna. Please may I ask which species of Homalomena, & species of other aroid genera apart from well known Cryptocoryne, Anubias, Lagenandra, & even Spathiphyllum can thrive as submerged aquatics?

Ron Iles

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From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at msn.com> on 2004.08.21 at 18:11:44(12032)
>From: "ron iles"
>Reply-To: aroid-l@lists.ncsu.edu
>To:
>Subject: Re: [aroid-l] Aquatic Homalomena species (Aroids as sumerged aquatics?)
>Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2004 02:51:31 +0100
>

Dear Friends,
Yes, there are Urospatha, which I saw growing on the banks of a larger tidally affected river in Fr. Guyana, looked beautiful underwater at high tide! I`m sure Anaphyllum (India), Anaphyllopsis (S.America), Lasia (Asia) Lasimorpha (Africa) nad Podolasia all should grow well under similar conditions.
Julius

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From: "Alistair Hay" <ajmhay at hotmail.com> on 2004.08.21 at 22:25:01(12033)
Ron:

Probably any of the rheophytes are worth a try as submerged aquatics, but I
would guess that most would, if successful, try to grow out of the water. Of
asian things, the rheophytic species of Schismatoglottis, Bucephalandra,
Aridarum (includes Heteroaridarum), Phymatarum and Piptospatha (includes
Hottarum) - see my papers in Telopea 9 (2000) with Josef Bogner and Yuzammi.
There are a number of rheophytic Homalomena species, but most have not been
taxonomicaly revised except for New Guinea (see Hay in Blumea 1999). There
is a messy complex around Homalomena trapezifolia (includes Emerald Gem)
which includes a number of rheophytic forms from the Malay Penisula
(probably extending into southern Thailand), also Furtadoa (=Homalomena)
sumatrensis (or is it sumatrana - don't have my notes with me). Cyrtosperma
beccarianum is also rheophytic, but I am fairly sure if you tried to grow
this under water it would soon have its leaves out of the top of the tank -
maybe Julius has tried it.

Alistair

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From: "Peter Boyce" <peterboyce at myjaring.net> on 2004.08.22 at 02:49:31(12034)
Ron

I can a small rider to Alistair's email to say that we've a good many
rheophytic and helophytic aroids in cultivation here, including most of the
genera that Alistair mentions. All do very well in shallow trays of water in
pots of pure 1:1 perlite:ground sphagnum in light shade with weekly feeding.

The crucial thing seems to be to flush the pots with water every day and at
the same time to ensure that the trays are also flushed; they all without
exception hate standing in 'stale' water.

Peter

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From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at msn.com> on 2004.08.22 at 15:33:55(12036)
>From: "Peter Boyce"
>Reply-To: aroid-l@lists.ncsu.edu
>To:
>Subject: Re: [aroid-l] Aquatic Homalomena species (Aroids as sumerged aquatics?)
>Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2004 10:49:31 +0800
>

Dear Friends,
And yet another' rider' to Pete and Alistair`s notes---if we take the time to read my 'oldish' article 'Experiencing Urospathas", published in Aroideana some years ago. I believe it gives THE perfect way to grow these types of plants, and Pete is correct, the flushing of their pots/soil and the changing of the water that the pots stand in are absoloutly essential to growing them to their full potential. Also, the potting method which I explain in my article which consists of using some larger-type of medium (1"-2" 'larva rock'?) in the bottom 3" of the pot so as to prevent any of the soil medium from being submerged, keeping the 'soil' medium ABOVE the level of the water in their saucers or trays, is essential IF you want them to survive long term, and I believe this is the aim of most growers. I personally do not use much perlite in the mix ( I prefer using coarse sand/fine gravel) as I THINK Urospathas and Cyrtospermas!
develop an aversion to it, maybe because of the changing seasons/temps here in Florida, but I may not be correct in this conclusion. In closing, apart from the Crypts and a few Anubias sps., I don`t think most of the plants that we have been discussing real 'like' being grown completely underwater, if we try, most will/may survive BUT be about 1/8 their potential size.
Good Growing,
Julius

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From: "Chanrit Sinhabaedya" <siamanthus at hotmail.com> on 2004.08.23 at 15:52:51(12040)
Thank you very much Peter and Alistair for the information on this
mysterious Homalomena.

I've been searching its name for a long time and was not be able to find it.

This plant as been cultivated here in Thailand for years as a pond plant for
aquatic landscaping, but noone knows where is it originally from.

In Thailand, sometimes, it's pretty hard to track where the plants
originally came from because sometimes the growers don't care about botancal
information so they didn't ask when they get the plants or sometime the
seller just don't want anybody to know their sources.

Ron, there is another submerged aquatic aroid beside from what Julius
listed. Aglaodorum griffithii from Vietnam also grows in similar condition.

:)
Chanrit Sinhabaedya

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From: "Peter Boyce" <peterboyce at myjaring.net> on 2004.08.23 at 21:52:43(12047)
Hi Chanrit

Thanks for the updateon the Homalomena. Interesring that you mention
Aglaodorum from Vietnam (where it certainly grows) but it was originally
described from Malaysia ansd is also common around the coats of Borneo
(i.e., Indonesia, Brunei & Malaysia) & I've see it in Cambodia!

Pete

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